Gene discovery could aid efforts to combat HIV

A new gene has been discovered that may have the ability to prevent the spread of HIV after it enters the body.

Researchers led by King's College London have found that the human MX2 gene is able to prevent the virus – which is responsible for causing AIDS – from replicating itself, meaning new viruses were not produced.

As such, the gene could be a new target for effective and less toxic treatments that mobilise the body's own natural defence system against HIV.

For example, it may be possible to develop a molecule that mimics the role of MX2, or alternatively a drug that activates the gene's natural capabilities.

Professor Mike Malim of the department of infectious diseases at King's College London said: "Although people with HIV are living longer, healthier lives with the virus thanks to current effective treatments, they can often be toxic for the body and drug resistance can become an issue with long-term use."

At the end of 2010, an estimated 91,500 people in the UK were living with HIV, with around one in four of these people not realising they were infected.